


Dirty Job

by clgfanfic



Category: Soldier of Fortune Inc.
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-12
Updated: 2012-11-12
Packaged: 2017-11-18 11:47:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/560730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clgfanfic/pseuds/clgfanfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a missing scene from the episode "Scorned."</p><p>An assassin, known only as Raptor, is working on a hit and stalking the SOF team, but Shepherd and his people are unsure who among them is her target.  They are able to foil her assassination attempt on a FBI director, but in the process Margo must face the woman alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dirty Job

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published in the zine Black Ops #5 and later Watch Your Six #3 with Mary Fallon Zane.

With the little energy she had left, Margo Vincent used the knife she had pulled out of her own thigh, hurling it at Raptor before the assassin could kill her.  The blade sank into the woman's shoulder, the impact and pain forcing her to stumble backward.

Reaching the edge of the gravel-topped surface, Raptor toppled over the low wall, sliding off her rooftop sniper's nest.  A moment later Margo heard a dull thud, followed immediately by a soft groan.  The woman had landed on a balcony only one floor below.

 _Damn_ , Margo sighed silently, wishing Raptor had fallen to her death so many floors below.  But the assassin had chosen her position well, and there was no way Margo could follow the woman.  She was sure her arm was fractured, and the leg she'd been stabbed in refused to move despite her frantic commands to do so.

Crawling forward on her elbows, the large pieces of gravel biting painfully into her skin even through her uniform, Margo neared the edge of the roof.  Struggling up onto the two foot tall wall, she tried to look over the edge of the barrier, but she just didn't have the strength.  Then, glancing down, she saw the silver coin lying on the top of the wall.

She picked it up, her fingers uncoordinated and clumsy due to the pain and shock that had started to take over, and stared at it.  _Hong Kong dollar_ , she recognized.

Still fingering the coin, she wondered if she would still be conscious when she was found.  In case she wasn't she curled her fingers around the cool surface of the coin and willed herself not to let go.

The blackness that had been growing at the periphery of her vision began to close in.  She struggled momentarily, but knew it was a battle she could not hope to win.  Laying her head on her arm, the coin still clutched in her hand, she let her eyes close as the wave of blackness washed over her like a wave.  Her last thoughts were to wonder how in the world she was going to face the rest of the team, having allowed Raptor to escape.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

          Playing the target for Raptor, Matt Shepherd was standing at street level when he heard Margo find Raptor.  He also heard the first sounds of the fight as it began.  He was moving before he had time to think, calling out the building and location even though the rest of his team knew exactly where Margo was.

Shepherd was joined by Benny Ray and Chance as he stood at the elevator of the tall building.  He stabbed the up button again, silently willing it to hurry.  A moment later the door whisked open and the three men entered, their weapons held tightly in their hands.

They rode the elevator to the top floor, then exited and sprinted down the hall to the stairs that led to the roof, their weapons moving in their hands as they covered the hall, just in case they ran into Raptor.

The door leading to the roof was already open, both Margo and Raptor having used it to reach the high perch.

Matt signaled Benny Ray and Chance, silently directing them to fan out and search for the two women.  They both moved off, as silently as big cats on a hunt.

Shepherd took the west side of the roof, inching along, checking for Raptor as he worked his way through a series of tension wires that secured signs for the helicopter landing pad that rose above the surface of the roof to the gravel-covered surface.

He could smell the difference in the air, a little cleaner than at street level.  He also thought he could detect the faint odor of blood on the breeze.  The thought knotted his stomach into a cold lump.  Margo was a well-trained, capable operator, but Raptor was a world-class assassin.

Less than a minute later Benny Ray's voice sounded softly in Shepherd's ear-piece.  "Southwest corner – ASAP.  Margo's down."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Benny Ray cautiously worked his way around the base of a raised helicopter landing pad, then started down the south side of the building, his

gaze and weapon tracking for any movement in perfect unison.  There were no sounds except for the soft rush of the wind and the distant hum of traffic moving along the streets below. 

As he neared the corner of the building he saw her, collapsed next to the short wall that surrounded the edge of the roof.

"Southwest corner – ASAP.  Margo's down," he said, moving forward, knowing the assassin might be lying in wait for him and the rest of the team.  But there was no movement, no glint of light, nothing to give away Raptor's position, if she was even there.  His battle sense told him she was gone, but he was careful nonetheless.

Reaching the fallen woman, he called softly, "Margo?"

When there was no response, he checked the area once more, then knelt down next to her.  He carefully squeezed her shoulder.  "Margo," he called again, a little louder.

Again there was no response and the sniper felt his heart race a little faster.  Before he could check for a pulse, he stood again, his HK coming up as he felt the arrival of another presence in his safety zone.

"Comin' in," Matt announced over the earpiece a moment before he stepped into view.  "Raptor?"

"No sign of her, and I can't get a response from Margo," the sniper said, covering Shepherd as he hurried over and knelt next to Margo.  "Chance, anything?"

"Negative," was the immediate reply.  "I'm moving to you, coming in from the north."

"Roger north," Benny Ray replied, watching as Matt carefully checked Margo's neck for a pulse.

"She's alive," Shepherd said softly, pulling the loose auburn hair back to uncover her face.  He sucked in a breath.  "Ouch," he said with a grimace.  Glancing up at Benny Ray he added, "Looks like they really tangled."

"I'm coming in," Chance announced, then joined them.

"Major, where are you?" C.J. asked over the communications unit.

"Southwest corner of the roof," Matt said into his lip mike.

"On my way," the Brit replied.  "No sign of Raptor at ground level."

"Roger," Matt replied, but his thoughts were on Margo.

Once C.J. arrived, Benny Ray knelt down to help Matt while Chance and the Brit covered their backs.

Working together, they moved Margo, laying her down on her back on the gravel.  Then, each man took one side of her body and checked from foot to head for injuries.

"Nasty stab wound here," Benny Ray said softly as he reached into a pocket of his pants and pulled out a field dressing.  He pressed it over the bleeding thigh wound, then applied pressure, trying to stem the flow of blood.  Margo moaned softly, but remained unconscious.  "Easy," the sniper said softly.

          "What the hell…?" Matt said, his voice trailing off.

Benny Ray looked up, watching as Shepherd opened Margo's hand, then held up a large silver coin, frowning at it.  The sniper felt his stomach cramp with recognition.  "Can I see that?" he asked, holding out his hand.

Matt placed the coin in the sniper's open palm.  "Recognize it?"

"Hong Kong dollar."

Margo groaned again, this time her eyes blinking open.  "Raptor," she managed.

"Where is she?" Matt asked.

"She fell… over the edge," Margo replied, her eyes closing to fend off the vertigo.

Matt moved to the wall, leaning over.  Even in the darkness he could see the balcony below.  "Chance, check it out."

The black man nodded, he and C.J. moving to the wall where they quickly rigged a line.  Chance climbed down.

"I've got blood here, sir," Chance said a few moments later.  "Looks like she jimmied the sliding glass doors.  Nobody's home.  I'm going to see if I can track her."

"Be careful," Matt said.

"Yes, sir," Chance replied.

"Major, let's move her inside," Benny Ray said to Matt, gesturing at the rooftop.  "These rocks—"

          "I'm fine," Margo interrupted, trying to sit up, but as soon as she moved she sucked in a sharp hiss from behind clenched teeth, then groaned softly as her ribs protested.

          "Don't move," Matt chastised her.  He met Benny Ray's gaze and nodded.  "C.J., cover us," he instructed.

          The Brit nodded, moving with them as Matt and Benny Ray carefully lifted Margo and carried her to the door.  C.J. opened it, going in first, still checking for the assassin.  "All clear," he said.

          Shepherd and Benny Ray carried Margo inside and sat her down on the carpeted floor in the hallway, her back leaning against the wall.  She was pale, sweat coating her face and beading along her upper lip as she squeezed her arm against her aching side.

          Without a word Benny Ray stripped off his utility vest, then his shirt, which he used to cover her shoulders and chest.  She glanced up at him and offered him a thin smile as she said, "Thanks."

          He nodded, but didn't say anything.

          She wondered about the flash of emotion that passed through the sniper's eyes, but was too tired to ask about it.

          "Major?" Chance's voice called over their earpieces.

          "We're inside, Chance, just inside the rooftop door," Shepherd said.

          A few moments later the black man joined them.  "She's long gone, sir," he said.

          Matt thought a moment, then said, "Okay, let's get Margo down to the Suburban.  C.J., I want you to take her to the hospital, get her checked out."

          "Will do," the demolition man said.

          "I'm fine," Margo protested weakly from the floor.

          "Bull," Benny Ray replied.

          She glanced up at him, wishing her glower had some energy behind it.  He was completely unimpressed.  "All right," she agreed, then looked up at Matt.  "What're you three going to do?"

          "Look for Raptor," Shepherd informed her.  "We'll meet back at the Silver Star."  He gave her a hard stare.  "But if they want to keep you overnight, you stay.  Understand?"

          Margo nodded, although she had no intention of staying if she could help it.

          "All right, people, let's move."

          Chance and Benny Ray carried Margo to the elevator, holding her during the ride down, then carried her to the waiting SUV.  Then, once Margo was comfortable in the back seat, Matt gently patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Hang in there."

          She nodded, then reached out, her fingers curling around his wrist.  "I wasn't the target, Matt.  She said I wasn't.  Be careful."

          He nodded, then backed out of the Suburban.  They quickly stripped off their weapons, tossing them into the back of the vehicle.  That done, Matt slapped the roof twice.  "Okay, C.J. take care of her."

          "My pleasure," the man grinned, starting the engine.  He pulled into traffic, disappearing into the row of taillights.

"Okay," Matt said, "let's see if we can find a trail."

"She's good, sir," Chance said.

"She's good, but she's not perfect," Matt replied.  "We'll find her."

 _Or she'll find us_ , Benny Ray thought, knowing now who she was, and who must have trained her.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

          C.J. parked just outside the emergency entrance of the hospital and honked.  An orderly saw him and rushed up to the passenger side of the SUV.

          "I need some help," C.J. said jerking his head to indicate the backseat.

          The orderly looked, spotting Margo.  "I'll get a wheelchair," he said, immediately turning and jogging to the sliding glass door that whisked open.

          C.J. climbed out, then helped Margo to move so she was sitting on the edge of the passenger seat.  When the orderly arrived with the wheelchair, they helped her into it, then rolled her into the ER.  A nurse told C.J. where he could wait, but he stood, watching until Margo disappeared into a treatment room.  Knowing that was all he could do, he sighed and headed off to find the cafeteria and a hot cup of coffee before he took up a vigil in the waiting room.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

          Her ribs taped, her arm in a cast, her wound cleaned, and her right leg wrapped securely in a brace, Margo lay on a treatment table, dressed and ready to go home.  She sighed and rolled her head to the side, checking the clock again.  It was almost two in the morning, and three minutes later than the last time she'd looked.

          She turned her head and stared at the ceiling again.  Where the hell was the doctor?  And why hadn't C.J. given her an update?  Had Matt and Benny Ray and Chance found Raptor?  What the hell was going on?

          She checked the clock again.  Another minute passed.

          The door _whooshed_ opened and an older man entered, dressed in a white coat and carrying a medical chart.  "Ms. Vincent?"

          Margo nodded.  "Can I go now?"

          "Well, I suppose so," the doctor said, walking over to join her.  "I'm Dr. Nicholas," he said, opening her chart and skimming over it.  "Hairline fracture of the radius, ditto on two ribs, and a stab wound to the thigh."  He looked up.  "And this was all the result of an accident?"

          Margo sat up.  The painkillers a nurse had given her earlier were helping, making the movement possible, but it still wasn't comfortable.  "Doctor, I'm sure you've heard the phrase 'national security'?"

          The man's eyes widened slightly.  "I see.  And you have some kind of identification?"

          Margo's eyes narrowed.  "I have a phone number – a contact in the Pentagon – if you think that's really necessary."

          The physician nodded, his gaze sweeping over her clothes.  He had already heard about the woman's empty holster and the knife the nurses had found in her boot.  And he had already spoken to the man who had brought her in.  Neither of them looked like street people, or criminals.  Military, yes, but he couldn't get an affiliation out of the man, either.

He met her gaze and held it.  His gut said to believe her, so he did.  "No, that won't be necessary," he said.

          Margo relaxed a little.  "Thank you."

          "Now, as I was saying, we'd like to keep you overnight, but it's not absolutely necessary."

          "I'll go then," she said, starting to push off the table.

          He reached out and stopped her.  "I want to give you some instructions first," he said.

          She sighed softly, but nodded, listening as he told her what to do, what not to do, when to see her own doctor, what danger signs for infection she should watch for, and when to come back to the hospital to have her wound cleaned and re-dressed.  When he was done she slid off the treatment table, leaning against it for a moment as a wave of vertigo struck.  When the room stopped moving she took a step closer to the door.

          "You're sure about this?" the physician asked, hoping she might change her mind.

          "Yes," was her only reply.

          "All right.  I've already spoken to…"  He checked the file.  "…Mr. Yates.  He promised me that he would take you straight home, and see to it that you got some rest.  Don't try driving while you're taking the painkillers.  And why don't you sit down?  I'll have a nurse bring in a wheelchair."

Margo considered ignoring the suggestion, but decided against it.  She was tired and light-headed, and the pain medication was only so effective.  She nodded, saying again, "Thank you."

          Dr. Nicholas nodded, then left, a nurse returning a few minutes later with a wheelchair.

"I'll take you to the exit," she said, after Margo sat down.  "Mr. Yates said he would meet you there with his car."

          Margo nodded, resting her elbow on the arm of the chair and supporting her head.  Before she even realized that they had reached the entrance, C.J. was there, helping her to stand and guiding her to the Suburban.  Climbing into the SUV and driving back to the Silver Star passed in a blur, her only real memory of it the short conversation she had with the Brit.

          "You feeling okay?" he asked her.

          "I've felt better," she replied, her eyes closed.

          "You were lucky."

          "Oh?" she asked, still not looking.

          "Raptor's a pro and you walked away.  Well, more or less."

          "She wasn't after me."

          She could feel him looking at her and could imagine the expression on his face.  "She wasn't," she repeated.  "She said so."  Margo paused, then grinned slightly, forcing her eyes open.  "But she did say that I pissed her off."

C.J. chuckled softly.  "I'll just bet you did."

"Did they find her?"

"No," C.J. replied.  "They called off the search about a half-hour before they told me to get the car for you.  They should be back at the Silver Star before we are."

"I should've stopped her."

"You did what you could."

"It should have been more.  Matt's got every right to chew my ass for this one."

"He's just going to be glad to see that you're okay.  They all are."

          "What you really mean is: I'm going to have three big brother hovering over me for the next week," she responded, then corrected herself, "make that four."

          C.J. grinned and shrugged.  "Could be worse."

          "Oh?"

          "You could be spending that time in the hospital."

          "Point taken."

          They lapsed into silence, Margo silently berating herself for allowing the assassin to escape.

          "Here we are," C.J. said a few minutes later.  "Home sweet home."

          He parked, then walked around to open her door, helping her out.  She took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she expected to face.

The Brit supported her, helping to keep the weight off her injured leg as much as possible as they made their to the door.

"Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome," he replied.


End file.
